Baby looked up at the clouds scooting across the sky and beamed as she looked back at her friend, the afternoon breeze ruffling her hair. It had been a couple days since Baram had relapsed, and Baby had worked to convince Professor Oakleigh that a few hours out in the fresh air with his old friend would do him good.

Granted, a few hours was all they had, but that was plenty of time to get coffee and snacks at the Magic Bean and explore the town a bit.

"Baramie~, does anything look interesting? We can check out any of these shops. And there's the park, and the dry docks. Or, we can just keep walking around if you want."

Baram was in a bit of a grumpy mood. He was more disappointed in himself but he appreciated Baby doing her damndest to cheer him up, like she always did. He tugged his scarf a little bit closer to his face to hide the deep cut on his left cheek that was still trying to heal up from his relapse.

He shrugged and sighed, trying to not tense up all over again. "I dunno, Baby. I'm up for anything really. You're the one that's been here more, you can show me whatever you want." He pondered for a bit. "Getting something along the lines of food and drink wouldn't be bad though." One thing had never changed about him, he could almost always eat.

Baby grinned and took Baram's free hand to tug him along. "Tell ya what, mate. Let's step into the Magic Bean and get some noms. Then we'll go check out the antique shop. It's nice and quiet in there, and they've got some really cool stuff. It's just down the block from the coffee shop."

She hugged his arm and steered him towards the Magic Bean. She pouted a tiny bit to see him trying to hide the cut on his cheek. "Ey. Fresh air will do that cut good. Besides, it makes you look more badass. Maybe you'll get a couple numbers today." She cackled and reached up to ruffle his hair.

He couldn't help but smirk and roll his eyes at her remark. "Oh yeah, you know me. Always popular with the ladies." He chuckled and bumped her gently with his hip. "I swear I think back home I got more girls trying to talk to me to get your number than to get mine. The struggle of being your friend can be real."

When they got to the Magic Bean, he was sure to hold the door open for her. "So when did you come here? And how did you not know that you could turn into a scaled firebreathing bad ass?"

Baby smirked. "A few of those girls were very, very fun dates. I distinctly remember trying to pull you into double dates, though."

She gave him a little bow of her head and tipped her head to think while they waited in line to order. "About two years, now. Apparently dad neglected to tell me about what he was. Kirin aren't meat-eaters, but he didn't bother keeping meat out of my diet, which kept me from developing any magic. So it was his fault." She grumbled. "But things got worked out. And now dad isn't talking to me, because he's jealous that I got a second chance, and he didn't."

"Eh, well if he knew that he would lose his powers by eating meat then his jealousy is kindof dumb and void." He moved to drape one of his arms around her shoulders, like he used to do all the time and grumbled as he observed the menu.

"So does that mean that you are having to be full vegan now or just a vegitarian? Because if you can't help me make cookies and eat them with me I might be a bit sad."

"That's actually how I found out I couldn't handle blood," she mumbled, a bit of a blush creeping into her cheeks. "It started after my magic came back, I think. I was never bothered by it before. As you an attest."

A new smirk curled across her lips. "While that may very well be true, I don't think they were taking magic into account for some of the varieties. Look." She pointed out the menu. "The Hatter tea is fuckin' delicious, I tell you. And the Briar Rose is, of course, a rose tea. You'd like that one. And then there's the coffee blends, which are all awesome on their own as well."

After much debating Baram finally decided on the Briar Rose tea, partially subconciously trying to attone for his mess up the few days before.

They nibbled on their snacks and caught up as they drank their tea. Baram grumbled as he finished his tea and stood, checking his watch. "We still have about an hour left before we need to head back. . . you mentioned a store you wanted to check out?"

Baby eased over to a trash can on the street corner and dropped her empty cup into it, as well as the wrapper from her pastry.

"Oh!" She licked a bit of glaze from her thumb and pointed out a tall, precarious-looking building just across the way. "That's the Grotto. It's that neat antique-y place I was telling you about. Loads of cool shit in there-- I found a cigarette lighter that looks like a dragon claw last time I went in. The flame is bright purple."

She took his hand and led him across the street, this time holding the door open for him as they passed inside.

He chuckled and bowed his head in a thank you as he entered the store. He looked around a bit, feeling a bit out of place. A tall gruff looking guy in a leather biker jacket around old antiques.

"It is cool when you can find the unique stuff amongst all the things you have no idea what to do with." He casually reached down to move a pendant on a necklace that looked like a butterfly. A bit too feminine for his sister's taste but maybe he could find something for her here. Just a little something to send to her to let her know he was okay.

At the sound of voices, Odette perked up from organizing a display of hanging crystal pendulums and descended the spiral staircase to the ground floor on quiet feet. She brushed a bit of dust from the front of her dress and blinked as she looked around. Upon spotting the newcomers, she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and gave a little bow of her head.

"Welcome to the Grotto," she chimed, her voice soft. "Is there anything in particular you're looking for..?" She looked from one to the other, the subtlest of smiles turning the corners of her lips upward as she recognized Baby. Then her gaze fell on Baby's friend, and lingered there for a moment longer than necessary.

"Abuelo's not in at the moment," she added, referencing the ghost that ran the shop, "but I can help if you need anything." Her fingers rose unconsciously to comb her hair forward over her shoulder, as if she were nervous.

Baram blinked when he noticed the girl. He smiled softly and gave a small bow. "Oh, thank you. We are just looking around. Spending some time before we head back to the castle."

He looked the girl over a bit. She looked young enough to be attending the school but he did not recognize her. Though he probably would not recognize over 90% of the school's population. He tugged on his scarf again, trying to hide the cut on his cheek, not wanting the girl to think that he was trying to get into trouble.

Odette chewed on her lower lip and nodded, curling her fingers into her hair. Baby's friend looked like someone who took out people's knees with a baseball bat, but Odette quite liked how gentle that little smile had been.

"Okay. I- I'll be nearby if either of you need anything. Just holler for Odette." Her eyes squinted with a little grin of her own and she backed away, towards a half-unpacked box of opalescent inks the she proceeded to stack on a decorative bookshelf.

Baram blinked and looked down at Baby in shock. "Babe, you shouldn't joke about that kind of stuff," he stated keeping his voice to a whisper.

He glanced over his shoulder at Odette again. She was very cute and her hair did look nice to play with. He quickly looked away, as he could feel a bit of warmth rising in his cheeks. "Besides, I have enough things to worry about in my own head before I even think about dragging someone else down with me."

He paused a moment and looked back at Baby. "You really think so?" He asked trying to keep his voice quiet.

Baby beamed and nodded her head earnestly. She stepped close to the display of handmade wire and metal pendants, so it would be easier to talk quietly with Baram.

"I really think so," she promised. She glanced back at the shopgirl and gave Baram's sleeve a little tug. "She hardly ever holds eye contact with people if she's not familiar with 'em. She was watching you."

Granted, Baram was right about needing to sort himself out a bit before getting involved in a relationship, but that didn't rule out him scoping out prospects.

"Listen 'Ram, I'm gonna head up to the third floor to look at the incense burners. I wanna see if they still have the one that looks like a brass bird skull. For my dude." She grinned. "I'll be right back, yeah? It's a little crowded on the higher floors."

He blinked after her and straightend his back a bit. "Since when do you have a dude that I don't know about?" He chuckled softly and his eyes wandered back to the store worker.

He quickly averted his gaze and started to look at things on the selves, carefully making an indirect route closer to where Odette was working. He glanced at her and brushed his fingers across his cheek, reminding himself of how unstable he was. A light caught his eye and he noticed the pendulums hanging in the shop.

"Umm," he cleared his throat, trying not to sound nervous, "Miss, do. . .do you have any recomendations for stones, or really anything that help with anxiety or nervousness?" He glanced at her a few times but the majority of his question was directed towards the pendulums he was staring at.

"Mm?" Odette straightened and blinked a few times to find the male nearby. She listened with a tilted head, as if she heard better with one ear than the other, and nodded as a new smile lifted the corners of her lips.

"I like crystals and oils," she offered, and stepped over to the shelves right behind him, which were bathed in the light from the window across the way. "Rose quartz is one of the most effective, and it's supposed to calm and ease worry. It's a good one to have around to comfort yourself if you have nightmares, too." Her gaze flickered to him before returning to the stones. "It's attuned with the heart chakra, so it's also good for encouraging self-love and strengthening relationships. And helping to start new ones. All that. And this is smoky quartz-- it's protective, and good for removing negative energy and is supposed to relieve fear and stress and elevate mood, so it's good for depression, and it helps ground the mind in reality. I have one of these guys on my desk in my dorm room to help me stay focused while I study."

She reached up to indicate a set of pink quartz points in several sizes, followed by several big chunks of hazy grey-brown crystals, then brushed her fingers down to the lowest shelf, where there were several specimens, both polished and unpolished, of a dark mineral the color of graphite.

"Hematite is good for grounding, and I like to use it for easing tension. This one is good for nerves and tempers, as well." She glanced up at him and chewed on her lower lip a tiny bit. "I can cleanse any crystals you'd like for you. My specialty is oils, though. For anxiety and nervousness, the best ones to go to are lavender, ylang ylang, bergamot, frankincense, and clary sage. Basil is good for it too, but I feel like basil works best as an incense, rather than a a scent oil."

She watched him for a moment longer, and held her hand to her chest for a second before timidly reaching up to indicate his cheek-- she gave him plenty of space, though.

He moved a bit closer to her so he could see the stones that she was pointing to. A small smile curled across his lips when he looked at the rose quartz. Looks like roses were just going to be a new reoccuring theme in his new life here.

He looked down at her when she started talking about oils. "I'm a bit. . . tentative to try anything involving fragrance. I've managed to find one that works very well and I don't want that one to lose it's potency."

Baram took a half step back when Odette brought up the cut on his cheek. "Ah! N-no. It's fine. . .I'm sure it looks worse than it really is. The healer said that as long as I don't mess with it. . .It will be fine. Thank you for the concern, Miss." His eyes trailed down to the girl again, finally getting a good full look at her. She was very pretty in a simple way, which Baram appreciated. He felt a slight warmth come to his face as he remembered what Baby had mentioned to him just a few moments before.

He returned his gaze towards the rose quartz, trying to make sure he did not stare at the shorter girl. "I think I would like to get some of the rose quartz. . .maybe the smokey one too. . .It never hurts to try new things, right?" A little bit of a smile colored his voice. Maybe Baby was right, getting out wasn't that bad.

Odette smiled, relieved that the male seemed to relax a bit. She touched her fingers to her collarbones. "You can call me Odette. You're a friend of Baby's, right?"

"I know how you feel. I like making perfumes for people, but I've only ever used rose oil and vanilla for my own. I can't bring myself to try anything else."

She stood on tiptoe to collect the crystals he selected, and cooed slightly to show her approval as she held them. "When you get home, soak them in salt water and let them dry in the sun. It's the simplest way to cleanse them." She gave a nigh imperceptible chuckle. "The windowsil in my dorm room is getting very crowded with my crystal collection."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, Baby and I go way back. Does she come here a lot? Is that how you know her?"

He watched her carefully and nodded at the instructions. "I might need to borrow a friend's windowsill. Mine doesn't get the sun too often." He chuckled. "Though I'm not in my room too terribly often. Some of the other places of the castle seem more like my place of residence than my dorm room."

He glanced at her and smiled softly. "My name is Baram, by the way. It's nice to meet you Odette. Have you been in Lakeshore long?"

Odette nodded. "I've had a few classes with her, but we never really talked until she started coming into the shop." Her brow furrowed the tiniest bit as she looked up at him. "You're at Dunehelden, yes? What's keeping you out of your dorm room?"

She blinked when he looked at her, blushing at the accidental eye contact. She occupied herself with rearranging the quartz crystals to fill the spaces left by Baram's selection. "B-Baram. I like the sound of that name." She managed a new, shy smile and unconsciously fiddled with her hair with her free hand. "I've been here for almost three years now. It's nice to not be traveling around at all times, like I did with my nana. Makes it easier to meet people."

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I go to Dunehelden... I just keep very busy with other things that I don't get to be in my room very often."

Baram began to roll the Quartz that he selected carefully around in his hands. "I'm sure you miss the rest of your family while you're here. Do they visit you at all?" He smiled softly and looked at her. "Well, if it accounts for anything, I'm glad to have met you Odette."